An Encounter With Articuno
by n.sanborn
Summary: My first installment of a series detailing random encounters with legendary Pokemon


The small fishing boat I had rented for a vacation on Cinnabar Island cascaded over the waves, the soft sound of the water splashing against the sides of the vessel lulling my Wartortle to sleep as he basked in the sun beating down on the vessel's bow.

I reclined at the stern of the boat, lazily adjusting the rudder to keep us on the course my Fearow was keeping us on as he flew overhead. A gentle wind whisked my hair as I glanced out over the open ocean, the surface of which shimmered red in the late afternoon sun.

We had just finished a business trip in Fuchsia City, working a deal with the local Pokemon Center to transfer medical supplies to the city via the new bullet train that connected Johto to Kanto. I had never been to the southern islands of Kanto before, and didn't want to miss an opportunity to witness scenic Cinnabar.

Wartortle had been born on the nearby Seafoam Islands, so I instructed Fearow to swing us by the twin archipelagos first. Wartortle hadn't been there since he was just a Squirtle, and I hoped to surprise him by letting him swim around his old home for a bit before we took to relaxing on the warm beaches of Cinnabar.

The islands were beginning to come into view up ahead, and I glanced over at Wartortle to see if he had noticed our detour. He was still sleeping, with small bubbles foaming around his nose as he snored gently. I grinned, thinking of how happy he would be to wake up and see0 his home.

As the islands grew bigger on the horizon, I noticed that dark clouds began to form around us. I whistled to Fearow, and she circled around to return to her pokeball. No point in risking her getting struck by lightning as I could steer the rest of the way without her guidance. I called out Electabuzz to operate as a lightning rod just in case.

The wind began to pick up just as the rocky formations of the islands began to form up ahead. Electabuzz glanced at me nervously as the boat began to rock. The waves crashed along the sides of the tiny vessel, splashing freezing water onto the deck. Rain began to pour as I wrestled with the rudder and yanked on the sails to keep us on course, scanning the rocks for a cave we could hide in to wait out the storm.

We were not a couple hundred meters from the island, from safety, when I heard it.

It was a sound that haunts me to this day.

The screech sprung Wartortle awake, his eyes wide with fear. He shouted at me in his native tongue, variations of his name that I could never comprehend. But here, there was only one thing to understand: Terror.

I yelled over the crashing waves to him, asking him what was happening. He stared at me for a moment, silent, before he dove off the side of the boat and disappeared from sight. I called after him, scanning the water for him to surface, or to feel the boat tug as he dragged it towards safety, but he was gone. The silence of his absence deafened me to the sounds of the storm raging around us.

Another screech, louder than the last, jarred me from my stupor, and brought with it a frigid wind as the rain turned to hail. Electabuzz clung to the mast, pelted by ice as he pointed towards the shore. Our vessel was closing in on a rock formation just off the shore, and moving fast. I yanked on the sails again, but I was too late. The bow crashed into the rock, and the deck was reduced to splinters. The small boat capsized almost instantly, and Electabuzz and I were flung forward into the air. I plunged into the icy sea, my body seizing into shock as the freezing water swallowed me in.

The ocean held me under its surface, and with each attempt breach it I found myself pushed down by an advancing wave. By the time I surfaced I was close to the shore. The waves threw me onto the beach. Electabuzz, already swept ashore, rushed to my side as I shivered and gasped through the driving hail. He helped me up, putting his wet, furry arms around me to help me warn.

I started scanning the beach for a cave or crevice where we could hide from the storm. My thoughts drifted back to Wartortle as I searched. Questions of where he was or what _spooked_ him so badly poured into my mind when I heard the screech again.

This time it was right above me.

I looked up at the rock jutting out from the cliff side, and there it was: An enormous bird, as tall as a grown man, its pale blue wings outstretched, its long tail whipping around in the wind. The three-pronged crest on top of its head was smooth as glass, and its talons gripped on the edge of the rock, ready to launch itself with a moment's notice.

And it was staring at me.

With another screech, it leaped. Years of battle training from when I was a teenager came back to me in an instant as I barked commands to Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, THUNDERBOLT!"

Still wet, the black and yellow simian crackled as he drew his latent electrical powers from within his body. A bolt of lightning shot upwards towards the bird with a force I'd never seem him use before. The bird cried out as it was struck. It circled back around, and within moments appeared to shake off the attack. It opened it's mouth and a blue orb began glowing in it's open beak.

This bird knows ice beam.

"Electabuzz, look out!"

It was too late. The beam of ice water blasted Electabuzz as he tried to jump out of the way. It forced him back, slamming him into the cliff side. He crumpled to the ground.

I called him back to his Pokeball and felt along the balls at my belt. Fearow's wings would be crippled in a battle against this ice bird. I felt Wartortle's empty ball and winced. _You can't worry about him right now_ , I thought, forcing myself to stay in the moment. I had one ball left: Growlithe. He was the newest member of my team; not much in a fight, but he was a loyal friend. I would've trusted him with my life. Although I feared he'd be overpowered by this monstrous avian, I needed to put that trust to the test.

"Growlithe, I choose you!"

He came out of his ball and assessed the situation. As hail pelted him, he glanced back at me and gave me a swift, confident bark.

The bird circled back around and began to dive right at Growlithe.

"Growlithe, flamethrower. Now!"

The little dog drew all his strength before erupting a stream of fire from his mouth. The precipitation vaporized in it's path as it swept up towards the bird. The massive creature spun, dodging the attack, and flew higher into the sky. It began to glow, and the air above us filled with snow. I recognized this attack from a battle long ago: Blizzard, the most powerful ice move a Pokemon could learn.

Within seconds, I was knee deep in thick wet snow. Growlithe bounded over to me and jumped into my arms, glowing with the heat he was expelling to keep us alive. Even so, the snow was dropping so rapidly he couldn't melt it fast enough. We were seconds away from being buried alive.

"Arcanine, fire blast."

A soft, wizened voice cut through the driving snow, followed by a scorching plume of flame that sizzled through the snowy sky. The blast hit the bird in the chest. With a final screech it flew off, the snow and hail halting as it distanced itself from us.

Growlithe and I were half buried when our rescuer found us. A small blue hand reached out to grab mine.

"Wartortle?"

"Tortle!" he exclaimed, as he waved back towards the shore. I saw figures running towards me as everything faded to black.

I woke up. My vision was blurred and my head throbbed as I tried to shake off the cobwebs. As my sight returned, I saw Wartortle snoozing in a chair next to my bed. Growlithe was curled up at my feet.

My throat burned as I tried to speak. "Hey guys," I mustered.

They both popped up. Wartortle said something quickly and ran out of the room. Growlithe licked my face, and I couldn't help but laugh despite the pain. Wartortle returned, followed by an old man with a thick mustache and thick glasses.

"You gave your Pokemon quite a scare there," he said, the playful shimmer in his eyes shining through his lenses.

"I like the keep them on their toes," I managed, attempting to match his tone. My voice was hoarse and my throat burned with each word, and I wasn't quite sure where I was or what was going on.

"Not many survive an attack from Articuno, I'll tell you that. You're lucky your Wartortle convinced me to come find you."

It was at this moment that I recognized the man. This was Blaine, the famous gym leader from Cinnabar Island. I had heard stories of him and his Arcanine saving sailors from the dreaded Articuno, but always thought them to be urban legends, stories told to keep kids from going out to become Pokemon trainers. I had never imagined those stories could be true until now.

"Thank you," was all I could say. I scratched Growlithe behind the ears as Wartortle handed me some aspirin and a glass of water.

Blaine started to walk out of the room. "Oh, and before I forget," he said, turning back towards my bed, "Silph Co called earlier. They're expecting you back at work tomorrow."

So much for my vacation.


End file.
